The Things We Dont Know

Ten Must Read Books After You’ve Read ‘The Things We Don’t Know’

August 14, 2017

At the end of my book, I published a list of ten must read books that everyone read if they want to expand their treasure chest of knowledge. My book touches upon a variety of subjects – History, Philsophy, Religion and a little bit of Human Psychology as well. So it’s no surprise that the kind of reading suggestions you get are pretty diverse and varied.

One quote stands out to me everytime I read (and re-read) my book, and I want to share it with you:

“We, of all the beings that we know of, can think. We can eat, write, build, save. We can predict, estimate, and count. We can preserve food for lifetimes, and in times of crisis, we can find ways to ensure our survival. With each passing generation, our sphere of control of our existence is larger. What if the earth is hit by an asteroid or there is no way to stop global warming? We look to colonize other planets. The fate of our species, in a few years, will not be tied to the fate of the earth. Our home planet must be cared for … but as we go interplanetary and then interstellar, our control on our lives and the evolution of our species grows. As far as we know, we are the only species that has a say in the development of its future.”

Here are the ten books that you must read if liked reading my book and want to continue the journey of discovery:

Cosmos, Carl Sagan

Pale Blue Dot, Carl Sagan

The Big Picture, Sean Carroll

God’s Philosophers, John Hannam

The Last Question, Isaac Asimov (Short Story)

Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

Gilgamesh: A New English Version, Stephen Mitchell

Meditations, Marcus Aurelius

The Essential Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks

A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking

Some of these books should be no surprise (Carl Sagan?!) and others are relatively niche (Rumi for enthusiasts of poetry, Gilgamesh as an Ancient Epic). But they are all pretty damn amazing and have been a major inspiration to me over the course of my life.

I hope you enjoy the list. Let me know what books you’ve read that should be included in this must read list!